OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss football players say they are keeping their attention on the field and not on the latest round of rumors linking head coach Lane Kiffin to another job opening — this time at Florida.
Florida fired Billy Napier on Sunday midway through his fourth season in Gainesville, immediately sparking speculation that Kiffin could be a top target for the Gators.
The talk isn’t new for the Rebels, who have grown used to their coach’s name appearing on lists whenever a high-profile position opens.
Offensive lineman Jayden Williams, now in his fourth year with the program, said players have learned to tune out the speculation and focus on their work.
“That’s nothing that I can control, personally. So it’s like, I’m where my feet are,” Williams said after Tuesday’s practice. “You just let all of them talk about that. At the end of the day he’s still in the building.
“He still comes in here every day and coaches us the same regardless of what’s going on out there. So, if he’s doing that I’m not really worried about it, either, because my job first and foremost is play football for Ole Miss.”
The Rebels have heard similar noise before.
When Kiffin was connected to the Auburn job late in the 2022 season, Ole Miss dropped five of its last six games, including a Texas Bowl loss to Texas Tech. That collapse turned a 7-0 start into an 8-5 finish, a lesson that remains fresh in players’ minds.
“I’ve told some of my teammates, if y’all remember 2022, started off 7-0, lost a game. Go to 8-1 then lost a tough one to ‘Bama that year and the wheels fall off and we finish 8-5,” Williams said. “You can’t let that happen. Because if you let that happen, especially with a lot of football left. We’re 6-1. We have five games left.
“You can’t have that mindset, ‘Oh, we lost to Georgia. This is the end.’ You can’t do that. You have to stick to it. Keep working, keep progressing because it’s a new team this week. You got to let that go.”
Ole Miss, ranked No. 8 in the latest Associated Press poll, lost to Georgia last week but remains in the College Football Playoff conversation entering Saturday’s game at No. 13 Oklahoma.
The Rebels are 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Southeastern Conference, still in contention for a spot in the SEC Championship Game if they can finish strong.
Kiffin has not commented directly on the Florida rumors but addressed his future generally during his regular media availability this week.
“That’s awesome that (athletic director Keith Carter) said those things and I don’t take that for granted,” Kiffin said when asked about reports that Ole Miss is preparing another contract extension. “I’m flattered that that would even be being discussed halfway through the season. But I don’t deal with that.”
He added that the team’s focus needs to remain fixed on the schedule ahead.
“We’ve got a lot to do, obviously, with a top-15 matchup and back-to-back road games,” Kiffin said. “We have to stay focused and worry about this season.”
It is familiar territory for Kiffin, whose name surfaced in searches at Auburn, Miami, and even LSU in previous cycles. In 2023, Ole Miss did not announce a new contract for Kiffin until December, weeks after the regular season concluded.
Players insist that Kiffin’s approach inside the program has not changed.
“He still comes in here every day and coaches us the same regardless of what’s going on out there,” Williams said. “At the end of the day, he’s still our coach.”
Veteran linebacker Suntarine Perkins said the locker room has matured since 2022 and believes this group can stay steady through any distractions.
“Coach always tells us to control what we can control,” Perkins said. “That means practice, film, and the game in front of us. That’s what matters.”
The Rebels have a challenging stretch ahead. Following the trip to Oklahoma, they host Mississippi State before closing the season with games against Texas A&M, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Players know that string of contests could define their postseason hopes.
“Of course it’s a heartbreaker,” Williams said of the Georgia loss. “Of course you want to win that. But at the end of the day, five games left and you don’t want the wheels to fall off game eight of the year and just lose the rest.”
Ole Miss still controls much of its fate. With a deep roster led by quarterback Jaxson Dart, running back Ulysses Bentley IV, and wide receiver Tre Harris, the Rebels remain in the hunt for one of the top bowl games — and, if they keep winning, an outside shot at the playoff.
While fans and national analysts debate whether Kiffin could succeed in Gainesville, his players insist their focus hasn’t shifted.
Their message this week has been consistent that the outside talk can continue, but Ole Miss has business to finish on the field.
